The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

⁶ Do not honor yourself in a king’s presence.
Do not stand in a place reserved for great people,
⁷ because it is better to be told, “Come up here,”
than for you to be humiliated before a ruler
    whom your eyes have seen.

⁸ Do not be in a hurry to go to court.
Otherwise, what will you do afterward,
when your neighbor humiliates you?
⁹ Argue your case with your neighbor,
but do not reveal someone else’s secret.
¹⁰ If you do, the person who hears it will shame you,
and your bad reputation will never leave you.

¹¹ A word spoken at the right time
    is like golden apples in silver settings.
¹² To ears that listen, a wise person’s correction
    is like a gold ring or like jewelry made of pure gold.
¹³ To those who send him, a trustworthy messenger
    is like cooling snow on a warm day during harvest.
He refreshes his masters’ spirits.

The Role of Humility in the Christian’s Life

I. In our relationships with those in authority
II. In our dealings with those who have wronged us
II. In our daily Christian witness to the world